ast?"

What made the girls so unfeeling toward Amy was the fact that from the
beginning she had expressed no sorrow over the destruction of the
dormitory, and that she had refused to write home to ask for a
contribution to the fund being raised for the new building.

When every other girl at Briarwood Hall was doing her best to get money to
help Mrs. Tellingham, Amy Gregg's callousness regarding the fire and its
results showed up, said Jennie, "just like a stubbed toe on a bare-footed
boy!"

Really, Ruth began to think she would have to act as guard for Amy Gregg
to and from the school. The girl was not allowed to play with the other
girls of her age. Wherever she went a small riot started.

It had become general knowledge that Amy Gregg's father was a wealthy man,
and that the family lived very sumptuously. Amy had a stepmother and
several half brothers and sisters; but she did not get along well with
them and, therefore, her father had sent her to Briarwood Hall.

"I guess she was too mean at home for them to stand her," said Mary Pease,
who was the most vindictive of Amy's class, "and they sent her here to
trouble _us_. And see what she's done!"

There was no stopping the younger girls from nagging. The fact that so
much was being done by others to help the dormitory fund kept the feud
against Amy Gregg alive. Her one partisan at this time (for Ruth could not
be called that, no matter how sorry she was for her) was Curly Smith.

Once or twice Amy slipped away before Ruth was ready to go back to Mrs.
Smith's house for the evening, and started alone for the lodgings. The
Cedar Walk was the nearest way, and there were many hiding places along
the Cedar Walk.

Mary Pease and her chums lay in wait for the unfortunate Amy on two
occasions, and chased her all the way to Mrs. Sadoc Smith's. What they
intended doing to the much disliked girl if they had caught her, nobody
seemed to know. They just seemed determined to plague her.

Ruth did not want to report the culprits; but warning them did not seem to
do any good. On a third occasion Amy started home ahead, and Ruth and
Helen hurried after her to make sure that none of the other girls
troubled the victim. Half way down the walk, Helen exclaimed:

"See there, Ruth! Amy isn't alone, after all."

"Who's with her?" asked Ruth. "I can't see--Why! it can't be Ann?"

"No. But she's tall like Ann."

"And that girl walks queerly. Did you ever see the like? Strides alo